I have been really frightened this last week. I thought I might be seriously ill. So many of my symptoms have returned in such a short time. A swift full on comeback of anxiety and exhaustion where I don't even want to wash myself. Even got oral thrush. Can't believe this.I've seen a doctor who did listen and try to understand how I would believe this was due to the effect Nitrofurantoin had on my B12d. I am sure it has to be these tablets cos of the timing and the throw back to so many symptoms I felt were improving directly before I took them.
The doctor was a bit shocked at how severe I believe B12d is and she did really want to help me. Said that they do know about B12d and PA but this is new to her. I actually told her I was SI eod as this was what is recommended in NICE and NHS web page. She asked how much it was costing me for doing this myself. I replied that I think I'm worth it.
She has taken a blood test and assured me that if my B12 is high, my injections will not be stopped. I am hoping that she is shocked enough to look into it.
This doctor is a registrar nearing the end of her training and I did upset/frighten her when I asked if she'd be interested in listening to Tracey Wittey, maybe invite other doctors to tune in too. I believe I made a mistake with this and that she was afraid this could make trouble for her with the practice partners. I feel bad about this as she is very good and we need doctors who care. When I got home she phoned me. She was sorry that she had not picked me up on a few things I'd mentioned in the surgery. I was still shaken up and couldn't answer her questions. I was sad though when she offered me antidepressants.
I am to see her on 31st July when we will 'discuss' my blood results! This is a first for me.
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3rdNettydoon
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I'm sorry you're having a tough time and that the situation with the GP is difficult. Xx
It seems (long term) antibiotic use in general can lower B vitamins mountsinai.org/health-libra.... And many of us have found that being ill with a bacteria or virus on its own seems to deplete b12 and/or folate. I usually increase injections for a few days when i'm fighting something and feel 'low b12'. Doctors don't really seem to understand this.
Have you tried taking probiotics or kefir or similar to help combat the thrush?
Nitrofurantion made me feel so bad they've put it on my allergy list! I SI every day so I did get over it OK but it cause a pretty extreme reaction at the time.
Trimethoprim absolutely strips folate out of your system too and I only found out after it left me with crippling symptoms which took 9 months of very high dose - up to 20mg/day - methylfolate to get well again. It cost me hundreds of £ I couldn't afford because I'm self employed and obviously struggled to work when I was so ill.
You definitely need to be wary of antibiotics and read all the information on them before taking them.
You should report your reaction using the Yellow Card reporting scheme for medicine side-effects.
Sounds awful what you went through. I haven't heard of alot of these antibiotics .
I eas once put on augmentin and metropronazole at the same time. for an access before b12 def diagnosed ( I now know yet another symptom of a b12 def )
It was a course of nitrofurantoin following a surgical infection that caused my mega crash that I’m still recovering from. There are alternative antibiotics like Cefalexin that don’t decimate B12.
Long story short but something similar happened to me after several courses of antibiotics for UTIs. I was initially prescribed Nitrofurantoin & seemed to deteriorate really badly, did some reading & found out about the b12 link so refused anymore of those but then had to have Trimethoprim because I am allergic to penicillin. I knew about the folate link but seemed to tolerate them slightly better & my folate levels were ok.
However, I’ve had a real deterioration in my overall health & found out my once off the scale active b12 levels were in the normal range, despite SI twice a week! So I am now SI every day & starting to feel some benefits 4 mths in but nowhere near well yet.
I’ve given up expecting conventional medics to know about any of this so do my own research & self treat where I can. I, too, was getting fungal infections but am working on my diet & taking probiotics, kefir etc to restore my gut health.
Do you self inject? I would recommend increasing your b12 asap. I hope you feel much better soon. It’s scary deteriorating so badly, I know, but at least you have a good idea what it is. X
I do SI eod. Might try every day and probiotic with kefir.Thanks for this. While I'm sorry for what you're going through I am also pleased to hear that this awful slump can and does happen.
I only started SI ED 3mths ago as I had only ever done it EOD but would recommend a trial. I am just trying twice a day now. Was a bit nervous but had a lovely sleep after it yesterday, so all good so far.
The gut stuff is pretty straightforward-lots of rainbow colour plants, cultured foods, low refined sugar & low ultra processed foods. The Zoe Tim Spector stuff is good for recipes.
Firstly, so glad you told the new doctor that you are worth the cost of EOD injections - priceless !
I am not familiar with that particular antibiotic. Just to reassure you, many antibiotics are on lists of medications known to interact with vitamin B12 and other lists regarding depletion of B12. It is worth checking.
I found that both Metronidazole (twice for gum infections) and Doxycycline (for SIBO trial) gave me constant headache and vertigo. Could not lift my head off the sofa. Memory and cognitive issues. deniseinmilden warned me off Trimethoprim (made a note of that) !
Lastly, I think that you have made a lasting impression on this new GP. That's a good thing. Yes, okay, disappointingly, she later offered you antidepressants (probably on the advice of other GPs there) . I was offered antidepressants thre times by my GP, who ended up being a lifesaver - diagnosing functional B12 deficiency by MMA testing, giving me 6 months of 2-a-week injections (despite concerned/suspicious nurses) and referring me for years in order to get me the help I needed. So worth persisting with any GP who actually looks and listens.
So don't be sad. Help her learn about you. I am wishing you all the best and know you can get through this.
Speaking about antibiotics nly, I figured out with call to GP and nutritionist last week, that antibiotics Clindamycin and Metronidazole (which I finished about 3 weeks ago) have totally messed me up.
For the last 3 weeks I've had daily fatigue crashes, vertigo, chills and hot flushes (but not like menopause), swaying like on deck of ship, hard bloated gassy abdomen. I was on them for ten days and five days respectively for a nasty finger infection. I've also got thrush which has got worse since the antibiotics - not surprisingly. Horrid horrid symtpoms have been feeling so rough - you have my total sympathy. While I'm not SI (yet, still investigating) I do have low B12, folate etc and I reckon the antibiotics have knocked it all for six.
The nutritionist reckons the infection may not have completely cleared, apparently traces can remain?
So I'm currently taking two Nutri Candex SIBO capsules a day. - mix of herbal and caprylic acid. I've been told it could all get more unpleasant before symptoms clear (die-off, don't know if that's a real thing but it makes sense to me) and I do feel a bit worse on day 3 today, but got to keep going. The link is here for anyone interested nutriadvanced.co.uk/candex-...
Probably cheaper elsewhere. I've got my fingers crossed it works, too early to tell yet. I want those critters gone and the fungusy yeast obliterated!
I hope you take heart from the replies here and start to feel better soon. X
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